Month: June 2013

Ultramarathon Running Store have once again expanded their product range, this time to include headlamps/head torches. The range consists of headlamps/head torches from both LED Lenser and Petzl, retailing from £34.99 through to the top of the range Petzl Nao at £120.00, and light outputs from 70 through to 355 Lumens.

“The headlamp plays a vital role in the success of the race when trail running at night. Visual comfort is important for running quickly and limiting fatigue. Petzl headlamps have become more and more lightweight, compact, powerful and durable and have become the industry standard in terms of design and technology.”

Petzl Headlamp/Head Torch: NAO

“The rechargeable NAO running headlamp adapts its two high power LEDs instantly and automatically to the lighting needs for greater comfort, fewer manual interventions and longer battery life. NAO is the first Petzl headlamp with REACTIVE LIGHTING technology: a sensor measures and analyzes the ambient light. The OS by Petzl software, free for download at www.petzl.com/OS, allows the NAO’s potential to be maximized with the option to personalize the headlamp and its performance.”

Last year I came a cropper on a tree root while out running at night, resulting in a painful tumble which left me with bruising on most of my lower leg for weeks. I don’t regret upgrading my head torch for that extra lighting power, most recently for the excellent Petzl Nao, boasting up to 355 Lumens with dual intelligent LEDs that can be programmed to suit your specific requirements.

What’s more, the Petzl Nao has the benefit of a LI-ION Rechargeable Battery that can be replaced with standard AAA batteries if required, perfect for events like the West Highland Way Race, where the majority of participants will find themselves running through 2 nights.

149 of the 181 starters of the 2013 West Highland Way Race made it to the finish line in Fort William, with times ranging from a new course record of 15:07:29 by Paul Giblin, through to Peter Ritchie’s 34:06:31.

Paul Giblin took a chunk out of Terry Conyway’s 2012 WHW Race time to set a new course record, arriving in Fort William in a phenomenal time of 15:07:29. Marco Consani and Richie Cunningham followed in second and third in times of 16:03:48 and 16:27:30 respectively.

First lady home was Rosie Bell in a time of 19:27:04, followed by Lorna McMillan in a time of 19:46:00.

At this point, only 21 runners have finished, with most runners still out on the course. Thinking back to my own experiences from last year, I was still a long way from finishing, which I eventually did around 8am Sunday morning.

Full results are available online this year, thanks to Sportident chip timing, which has made following the race much easier:

It’s West Highland Way Race weekend once again. Unfortunately, I will not be competing this year, having decided to pull out of the race following the birth of my son Harris. However, I will be tuning in online to see how everyone is doing in their quest for the goblet, and it will hopefully not be too long before I am back to try and get my second WHW Race goblet. All the very best to everyone running, supporting and marshalling this weekend. I hope that the weather is kinder to you all than it was this time last year and I look forward to hearing all of the stories from the weekend. Just remember, the tougher it is, the better the story you have to tell!

“Skyrunner World Series Ultra Transvulcania – the film. Kilian, Emily, Sage, Timothy, Cameron tell their tale. Follow the whole race, kilometre by kilometre, in this Dreamteam TV production that captures the camaraderie, the pain and the unforgettable magic of the Transvulcania Ultramarathon –Transvulcania Ultra Marathon 2013. Incredible time lapse images by Christoph Malin”

Check out the latest edition of ‘Australasia’s only magazine devoted to the dirty art of trail running’, trailrunmag. Edition 9 includes:

“Joining the Miler High Club at Northburn; Kung Fuji Master Grant Guise tackles UTMF; Finding balance in the bush, or how to juggle motherhood, career and a singletrack addiction; The Pearl of the Orient – Hong Kong trails PLUS King of Kong Andre Blumberg; One Step Beyond – The Heaphy Track; Himalayan Hotspot – Nepal’s rising trail stars; PLUS trail guides, gear and meet our new Asia and New Zealand editors.”

“We’re a dirty little mag. A dirty, dirty, filthy mag. About running. Off road, on trail, off piste, on earth. Welcome to Trail Run Mag, Australasia’s only magazine entirely devoted to the dirty art of trail running.”

I’m back running, but with a different focus, and all as a result of the strangest set of circumstances! Parenthood has opened up a whole new world to us and part of this is the increased social aspects that come from meeting other parents. Amongst our new friends are a couple called Carly and Lewis who have a son, Ethan, who is just weeks older than Harris.

We first met at an ante natal class in the run up to the birth of our respective sons and, when Leanne was in labour with Harris, a chance encounter at Aberdeen Bus Station, meant that I was able to catch up with Lewis, not long after Ethan had been born. The journey home to Ellon provided some insight in to just what was to follow.

It’s great to be able to spend time with people who know what you are going through and, I have to admit that in the past I just did not appreciate how much of an impact childhood can have on life. Allan, if you are reading this, please accept my apologies. I can see now why you didn’t jump at the chance to join me in training for ultras!

So where, you might ask, does speed training come into all of this?

Well, both Carly & Lewis are both keen runners. Carly was first lady at the recent Union Street Mile, in a time a shade over 5 minutes and has a long history of running success with Aberdeen Athletics Club. Even more impressive when you consider that this victory came just a few short months after giving birth to Ethan.

Carly kindly agreed to add some structure to my training and, for the past few weeks, has been putting me through my paces at speed training sessions. It’s the kind of thing that, in the past, I have totally avoided in favour of my long slow run – or medium slow run – or short slow run – you get the picture – SLOW!

This possibly best explains why, despite increasing my total mileage considerably over the past few years, my results only ever improved by a matter of minutes from year to year.

With the increased time constraints of parenthood, ultra training was the first thing to fall by the wayside and, this year, my total mileage is far from impressive.

However, with the addition of some structure to my training, I can hopefully look to improve on my overall speed and performance, despite having considerably less time in which to run.

It may not be as ‘fun’ as long slow runs as it is considerably more arduous but, hopefully, the end results will be far more impressive and I can once again turn my hand to gaining some PBs. Only this time, these will be in 10k and/or 1/2 marathon events.

I still want to run a sub 4 hour marathon (PB 4:14:02) and, in time, hope to return to running ultras where any increase in pace should result in considerably less time spent on the feet.

Men’s Running recently produced “Trail Zone, The Complete Guide To Trail Running”, which includes a contribution from myself. The contribution was actually something that first appeared back in the May 2012 edition of Men’s Running, but, for Trail Zone, it was updated to reflect my successful completion of 7 ultras, including the 95 mile West Highland Way Race, in 2012.

“I have no great aversion to road running, but I would always choose a trail run over a road run regardless of the time of day, the season and/or the weather conditions.

The trail offers me greater freedom and lets me reconnect with nature. It offers me a greater variety of terrain which is both more challenging, more rewarding and yet kinder to my body. It offers me a chance to reach places that are not often visited other than by those who are willing to put in a similar effort.

It offers me the chance to explore and to see the best that our country has to offer. It tests me and pits me against the elements, in a way that the road could not. It offers me an escape from the mundane, the 9 to 5. It offers me freedom!

Since discovering the trail I have gone on to take it to extremes in the form of ultramarathon running.

In 2012 I am aiming to complete seven off-road ultramarathons, from the 33-mile D33 run to the 95-mile West Highland Way Race, with runs of 37, 40, 43, 53 and 55 miles in between.

In completing these races I will log many, many hours on the trail, some of which will leave me wondering why I even bother to put myself through this, but ultimately, they will all be rewarding.

That’s why the trail wins.”

Trail Zone, The Complete Guide To Trail Running is available from newsagents and directly from the link below: